Marc Spector (Earth-616)
, US Marine Corps, , partner of Jean-Paul du Champ, partner of Raoul Bushman, partner of Midnight, , Marvel Knights, , | Alignment = Good | Relatives = Shadowknight (Randall Spector) (brother, deceased), Elias (father, deceased), Seth Phalkon (alleged great-great-grandfather) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Los Angeles, California; formerly New York City, Spector Mansion, Long Island, Avengers Compound | Gender = Male | Height = 6'2" | Weight = 225 lbs | Eyes = Brown | Hair = Brown | UnusualFeatures = Scar over his left eye; confined to a wheelchair twice | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Adventurer, entrepreneur; former prize fighter, spy, soldier, mercenary, cab driver | Education = High-school graduate | Origin = On a mercenary mission in Egypt, Spector was left for dead. An idol of the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu, saved him and gave him his moon-based powers. | PlaceOfBirth = Chicago, Illinois | Creators = Doug Moench; Don Perlin | First = Werewolf by Night #32 | HistoryText = Spector's father, a rabbi, managed to escape Germany when Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia. Spector was born in the US. His mother died soon afterward. Marc refused to follow his father's calling; he could not understand why Elias never fought back against persecution. Instead he became a prize fighter, but when his father got into the ring one night to stop him, Marc punched him. The next morning he enlisted in the Marines. He never saw his father again. After two tours of duty, he became a field agent of the CIA. There he worked with several people who would later interact with Moon Knight, including William Cross, Amos Lardner, and his own brother, Randall Spector. Randall killed Spector's girlfriend Lisa with a hatchet to keep her from exposing a gun-running scheme; Spector retaliated with a grenade and assumed Randall was dead. After leaving the CIA, Spector became a soldier-for-hire. During this period he befriended "Frenchie" Duchamp, who became his professional partner. They took on several assignments, mainly in Africa and South America. Spector later went to trial for assassinating the president of Bosqueverde, a South American country''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #15 through #18; such assignments paid well, though, and Spector invested wisely. Spector and du Champ took on a job in Sudan for Raoul Bushman. Whereas Spector worked for the money, Bushman seemed to enjoy plunder and killing. When Bushman massacred the inhabitants of Selima, as well as archaeologist Peter Alraune, to find an Egyptian pharaoh's tomb, Spector could stomach no more. He got Alraune's daughter Marlene to safety at the tomb and challenged Bushman, who mortally wounded him in the desert. Spector managed to reach the tomb before he collapsed, and Marlene and the crew laid him beneath an idol of Khonshu. His spirit had an encounter with Khonshu, who promised to save his life in exchange for his service. Spector agreed, although he later considered this encounter a hallucination. Restored to life, he punished Bushman's men, while Bushman himself escaped.''Moon Knight,'' volume 1, #1 Moon Knight Finally having found a purpose in life, Spector applied himself with a will. He, du Champ, and Alraune (now his lover) moved to New York, taking the idol along. With their help he developed the costume, equipment, and persona of Moon Knight. With his fortune he could not only support his new career of fighting crime, he could create another persona: Steven Grant, financier. Finally, to gather information at street level, he created a fourth persona: Jake Lockley, cab driver. His original persona, with its multiple facets, faded into the background. Still, leading four separate lives put great mental stress on Spector. Lockley developed a network of informants, including the homeless Bertrand Crawley, diner owner Gena Johnson, and her sons Ricky and Ray. Spector's first major job as Moon Knight came when the Committee hired him to capture a werewolf named Jack Russell. He succeeded, in large part thanks to the silver cesti he was equipped with. However, he learned that the Committee planned to turn Russell's sister into another werewolf and use them both as weapons. He did the honorable thing and switched sides; Spector and Russell shut down the Committee.''Werewolf by Night,'' Volume 1, #32 and #33 Spector faced Conquer-Lord on his own''Marvel Spotlight'' #28 and #29 before briefly joining the Defenders to battle a Life-Model Decoy version of the Zodiac''Defenders'' #47 through #51. The first skeleton from Spector's closet to bedevil Moon Knight was William Cross (now the villain Crossfire), from whom Spector rescued the Thing''Marvel Two-in-One'' #52. He met Spider-Man for the first time when they teamed up against the Masked Marauder, who at the time called himself "Big M" and employed the original Cyclone''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #22 and #23. Moon Knight had reached the big time and encountered super-villains with more frequency. Very early on, he had to face a serial killer dubbed the Hatchet-Man, who claimed to be his brother Randall''Hulk Magazine'' #17 and #18. Spector investigated the death of Amos Lardner when his body arrived in a crate on Spector's doorstep. He learned that Amos' brother James had become a test subject in a CIA experiment (one that Spector himself had participated in), and when Amos investigated, he was forced to undergo the same treatment and committed suicide as a result.''Marvel Preview'' #21 Spector faced other menaces: some super-powered, some insane, some simply ambitious, but all dangerous. He confronted the Jimmy Crawley Slasher, a man slaying homeless people in a effort to find his father. He tracked down Bushman and sent him to jail,''Moon Knight,'' volume 1, #1 but Bushman struck back by having Midnight Man (a more recent foe''Moon Knight'' #3) destroy Spector's idol of Khonshu. By this time Spector was convinced that Khonshu had given him his powers, as well as a focus in life. His precarious self-control broke down until Marlene produced another idol, which she claimed was the original.''Moon Knight'' #9 and #10 Moon Knight's next major foe, Morpheus, turned out to be a patient of Doctor Peter Alraune, Marlene's brother''Moon Knight'' #12. The idol of Khonshu sustained Spector again when he first encountered the Black Spectre, who tried to terrorize people into supporting his bid for mayor. Nobody, including Dr. Alraune, believed Spector when he claimed that Knowles was the Black Spectre, but Khonshu gave him the strength to prevail.''Moon Knight'' #25 A battle with the Fly left Spector unable to walk, but he quickly recovered''Moon Knight'' #35. To stop an ancient Egyptian curse, Spector briefly hosted the spirit of a priest of Khonshu, which helped to integrate his personalities''Moon Knight'' #36. When Spector learned that his estranged father was dying, he had a change of heart, but he arrived in Chicago too late. To his horror, Spector found his father's tomb empty and his papers stolen. After his father's death, Spector was outraged when his body was stolen by Reuben Davis, a former student of Elias Spector who had mastered Kaballah. Using the body as a power source, Davis took the name Zohar and used his magical power to punish Marc Spector for his sins. Moon Knight defeated Zohar, but Spector subsequently suffered another serious mental breakdown and decided to abandon all of his alternate identities to settle down with Marlene; By reconciling with his father's legacy, though, he found a measure of peace and decided to retire from crime-fighting.''Moon Knight'' #37 and #38 As part of his new life, Spector gave up his Grant identity and sold the idol at a gallery in Paris. He had a vision, however, telling him that "the image is delivered up to evil." Called back to action as Moon Knight, he learned that Marlene could no longer tolerate his schizophrenic behavior, and she left him. In the Egyptian Valley of the Kings, Spector met three ancients priests of Khonshu, who told him that Khonshu had chosen him as an earthly champion and gave him new weapons. Only later did Spector realize that Khonshu himself was influencing him subconsciously.''Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu'' #1 West Coast Avengers Spector joined the West Coast Avengers for a time after rescuing some of their members who had been time-shifted to Pharaonic Egypt. Hawkeye got help from Khonshu, in exchange for designing Moon Knight's new weaponry''West Coast Avengers'' #23. Khonshu alerted Spector in the present day, who helped the Avengers return home safely. While an Avenger, Spector for a time became romantically involved with Tigra, but he never became a true team player. After a while, there was a controversy amongst the team upon the discovery that Hawkeye's wife Mockingbird had allowed the Phantom Rider (who had sexually assaulted her) to die while cast away in time. Spector, Tigra, and Mockingbird left the team as a splinter group. Together with Bill Foster they daunted the High Evolutionary, and they also fought the Night Shift. When they consulted with Hellstorm about Phantom Rider's ghost haunting Mockingbird, Spector learned of Khonshu's presence in his own psyche, and Hellstorm convinced the moon god to depart''West Coast Avengers'' #41. Freed from Khonshu's meddling, Spector left the "mainstream" hero business and gave up the mystic weapons the priests had given him. Back in New York, Spector reunited with Marlene and went back to less-cosmic crime-fighting''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #1. He soon learned that Jeff Wilde, the son of his old foe Midnight Man, had tried to take his place during his time on the West Coast and now wanted to become an ally. The new Midnight fought crime for some time together with Spector, until Midnight was seemingly disintegrated during battle with the Secret Empire. Wilde had survived, however, and was turned into a cyborg soldier by the Secret Empire, told that Moon Knight had been responsible for his father's death. These difficulties with the Empire drew Spector (as well as Darkhawk, New Warriors Night Thrasher and Nova, the Punisher, and Spider-Man) into a near war''Amazing Spider-Man'' #354 through #358. At the end of the climactic battle, Wilde again seemingly perished, this time crushed by debris when the Empire's headquarters collapsed around him. Spector underwent another near-death experience''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #28. He then found that his brother Randall had survived, and in addition had been trying to take his place as Khonshu's champion. Randall (as Shadowknight) succeeded in usurping Spector's powers temporarily. With the Punisher's help, Spector defeated Shadowknight.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #35 through ''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #38 The power levels of his foes kept increasing, so Spector continually upgraded his own equipment. He retooled his Kevlar armor and steel crescent darts with adamantium, and his public persona with a firm named Spectorcorp. During the Infinity War, Spector had to contend with Moonshade, an evil twin of himself created by the Magus (himself an evil twin of Adam Warlock). Luckily, Moonshade suffered from the same blunted focus caused by Spector's multiple personalities, while Moonshade's threat had the effect of sharpening Spector's own focus. Moonshade also had an Achilles' heel: the adamantium in Spector's new weapons.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #41 through #44; ''Infinity War'' #2 through #4 During another cosmic event, the Infinity Crusade, the Goddess (another aspect of Warlock) selected Spector as one of the most spiritual beings on Earth, thanks to his near-death experiences and his devotion to Khonshu.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #56 and #57; ''Thor'' #464; ''Infinity Crusade'' #1 through #6 Seth Phalkon (actually the Egyptian god Seth) attacked Spectorcorp with a computer virus. Rather than let it destroy the entire conglomerate and his employees, Spector quarantined it in his own building, Shadowkeep, along with himself. He died in the ensuing meltdown.''Marc Spector: Moon Knight'' #60 Second Resurrection Khonshu resurrected Spector again to counter another plot by Seth, who had recruited Spector's old foes Bushman, the Black Spectre, and Morpheus. Using an idol of Seth, they tried to break up a peace conference at the UN. Spector foiled the plot by destroying the idol.''Moon Knight: Resurrection War'' The CIA tried to assassinate Spector because he knew too much about their mind-control programs. With an old flame from the agency, Candace Calder, he exposed the latest refinements in their sinister schemes.''Moon Knight: High Strangeness'' Spector journeyed back to the spirit realm to help the Black Panther reconnect with Bast, his own patron deity. Although Nightmare impersonated Khonshu and tried to divert them from their purpose, the real Khonshu helped them finish the quest.''Black Panther,'' volume 3, #20, #21, and #22 Some time later, Spector was approached by Doorman of the Great Lakes Champions (then called the Great Lakes Avengers), who was seeking new blood for his team after Dinah Soar's death and Mr. Immortal's (repeated) suicide attempts. However, Spector mistook Doorman for the Midnight Man, leading to an altercation. Needless to say, Moon Knight did not end up joining the Great Lakes Avengers.Great Lakes Avengers: Disassembled 2 Despite his mistrust of teams, Spector joined a group that tried to bring in the Punisher for his excessive vigilantism, and he put up the funds for a headquarters. Zaran wounded Spector severely, and the team's building exploded in the same attack. Drained of money, health, and enthusiasm, Spector retired again.''Marvel Knights'' #4 through #14 Spector finally exorcised one of his demons when he killed Bushman in mortal combat''Moon Knight,'' volume 3, #2 (flashback). He survived, albeit with broken knees. Crippled and despondent, he turned to drugs and alcohol. The Civil War passed him by, although both Captain America and Iron Man tried to enlist him for their sides. Recent encounters have forced Spector to shake off his lethargy, at the price of some psychological stability. He still believes that he is Khonshu's champion, but in his mind Khonshu wears the face of Bushman. So far he has faced a returned Midnight, the Taskmaster, and a revitalized Committee. Moon Knight had to fake his own death when Osborn sent his Thunderbolts to kill him. After that he fled to mexico for a while and eventually met up with the Punisher. Dark Reign Moon Knight returns to New York after faking his death with Jake Lockley as his dominant personality, but still struggles against his violent nature and is hounded by a small imaginary tormentor resembling a man in the Moon Knight costume with a bird skull who goads him to kill. While trying to walk the path of a hero he makes a bold return taking on many criminals but killing none of them, now the people of New York begin to see him as a hero and not a murderous vigilante much to Norman Osborn's disdain. Jake's personality has been one of struggle against the inner demon trying to get him to kill while juggling sobriety. Most recently he was met by the Sentry who asks him "Who do you think you are, a hero?" Later the Sentry takes Moon Knight across the city while he saves people and stops crimes telling Lockley that eventually he will be tested and that he will fail to which Moon Knight replies "So will you". They stare each other down for a moment before the Sentry eventually leaves. Secret Avengers After Norman Osborn's defeat in the siege of Asgard, Steve Rogers was appointed his replacement. He reorganized the Avengers, recruiting Moon Knight to be on his team of Secret Avengers. Their first mission sent the team to Mars. Later on Moon Knight was part of a team that infiltrated a Secret Empire undercity beneath Cincinnati. Some of his teammates, such as Beast, did not trust Spector due to his mental illness. The One-Man Avenger Spector moved to Los Angeles to work as a television producer. Marc Spector is at a party, celebrating the success of his new show, "the Legend of Khonshu", which he has based on his own past. His celebration is interrupted by a call, and he goes outside to meet Wolverine, Spider-Man and Captain America. Cap informs Spector that criminals have been migrating to Los Angeles, and as he now operates there he wants him to figure out why. He reminds Marc that as an Avenger, and thus never has to work alone. At the docks, Moon Knight spies two armed henchmen, making a pickup for a mysterious employer. They approach Mr. Hyde, who demands payment. When it is not given, he kills the two men. Moon Knight attacks. The fight moves onto Hyde's boat, and Moon Knight discovers that Hyde was selling a dead Ultron. He makes off with the Ultron's head, diving into the water. The henchmen's employer appears above the boat as Moon knight dives deeper. He refuses to pay Hyde, in return for killing the henchmen. he attacks with a massive burst of energy and absconds with the rest of the Ultron body. Moon Knight takes the Ultron head back to Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-Man to discuss it. However, he is in fact completely alone, and the three Avengers are mere hallucinations. Dressed as Spider-Man, and thinking that he was in fact Spider-Man. Marc confronted the criminal Snapdragon at a strip club she operated. Partway through the fight, his Wolverine personality took over. He was defeated, but saved by Echo, who was undercover there. She explained that she had briefly been an Avengers and they thus had mutual friends. He later asked her out on a date at Pink's Hotdogs to make up for blowing her cover.. Spector had hired Buck Lime, an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, to assist him, having tested him by pretending to be Bullseye. Buck confirmed the authenticity of the Ultron's head and encouraged him to give it to the Avengers At the same time, the new kingpin of L.A: ordered Snapdragon to kill Moon Knight. For that, Snapdragon hired the team Night Shift. Meanwhile, the assassin known as Daken moved to L.A. He had wanted to become lord of the city's crime scene, but found a new kingpin already in place. A string of murders attributed to a 'Claws Killer' was attributed falsely to Daken Moon Knight was also hunting the Claws Killer. The Claws Killer ended up being Marcus Roston. Night Shift attacked Moon Knight and Echo on their date. The police tried to arrest them, and at the suggestion of his Cap he initially surrendered. When a handful of officers tried to unmask him he fought back and escaped. Echo also escaped, stealing a cop car. He later tried to kiss Echo, angering her. Later, Echo showed up at his house and apologized. The real Avengers arrived, having been contacted by Buck and informed of the dead Ultron. Rogers told Marc he trusted him and his plan for catching the mysterious kingpin, but emphasized the riskiness of the plan. Buck went to Snapdragon's club to offer the kingpin the head. Although he knew this was a trap, the kingpin revealed himself: Count Nefaria. The Ultron head was a fake, filled with a drug that weakened Nefaria. They battle, but Nefaria fled. However, Echo had recorded everything; they now had hard evidence of the kingpin's identity and his intentions. She also witnessed Moon Knight talking to his other personalities. Moon Knight took Snapdragon to the police. Although the evidence was solid, the captain didn't want to anger Nefaria and thus did nothing. Whilst out defeating criminals, Moon Knight and Echo were ambushed by Nefaria. They tried to flee with little success. Stand their ground, they knew it was an impossible fight. Nefaria slew Echo with his optic beams, enraging Moon Knight as he had developed an infatuation with her. His Wolverine personality slew the other two Avengers and took control. He savagely attacked Nefaria, wounding him. Nefaria's blast backfired, seriously harming both himself and Moon Knight. The police found Spector and took him to a hospital. He woke up to discover himself handcuffed to a bed. Buck Lime gases the hospital and rescues him. Nefaria asks his daughter, Madame Masque, for assistance. She traces the vibranium in Echo's staff and finds Buck and Moon Knight's hideout. She retrieved the Ultron head. Together, Buck and Moon Knight defeated Masque and reclaimed the head. During the fight, Moon Knight manifested another personality, this one based on Echo. When L.A.P.D. showed up to arrest Count Nefaria, he attacked their station. Moon Knight followed him but is defeated. This lead Nefaria into a trap, as Spector had called the Avengers. Thor knocked out Nefaria and he was taken into custody. Ultron head is given to Tony Stark, who makes quite the impression on Marc. Moon Knight manifest a new Iron Man personality. Three months later, "Legend of Khonshu" is cancelled, and Moon Knight abandons L.A. for New York. Avengers vs. X-Men Moon Knight took the side of his fellow Avengers against the X-Men. He was sent to keep an eye on the Jean Grey School together with Falcon and She-Hulk. He takes an aggressive attitude to his job, and after exchanging barbs with Frenzy, he attacks her, leading to a fight. After She-Hulk injures some kids in the belief that they were a greater threat, a full scale conflict erupts with the rest of the schools faculty joining in the battle. Age of Ultron During Ultron's massive and abrupt takeover of Earth, Moon Knight was in a black-ops mission along Jerry Hunt in San Francisco. Both managed to escape to one of Nick Fury's secret bases, although Jerry died as soon as they got it. Black Widow found them when also looking for refuge. Later, Natasha discovered a special box where Fury held fail safe plans for different end of the world scenarios, including one of Ultron taking over Earth. They decided to go to a refuge in the Savage Land depicted in the plans, where they met other surviving heroes who just arrived. | Powers = Currently, Spector has no superhuman powers. | Abilities = Psychic Resistance: Spector's multiple personalities give him some protection against certain psychic powers. Expert Pilot: He is an excellent pilot and aviator due to his years as soldier and a mercenary. Skilled Detective: Spector is a good detective with broad knowledge and understanding of the criminal underworld. He also knows many of the streets of New York very well due to being a cab driver in the alias of Jake Lockley. Interrogation Expert: He is an expert at interrogation often employing law-enforcement methods and torture. Expert Marksman: He is capable of hurling all types of projectiles with great aim and pin point accuracy as well as an excellent sharpshooter. Weapons Master: Spector is adept with nearly every weapon ever invented ranging from swords, sticks, chains, projectiles. Master Martial Artist: Spector is a former heavyweight boxing champion who underwent intense training as a commando, intelligence operative, and mercenary. He is skilled in many forms of combat and martial arts (Eastern and Western) including Boxing, Savate, Judo, and Kung-Fu; his knowledge is extensive enough that it has been shown he understands and can use pressure points against his opponents, striking nerve clusters to stun or even instantly incapacitate. On more than one occasion without powers he has fought the Punisher to a stand still. | Strength = Currently, Spector has the strength of a normal human male of his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. He could formerly press lift twice his bodyweight; 450 lbs, but since losing his powers he has been routinely weightlifting and is likely stronger. According to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9, at his strongest, under the light of the full moon, he can lift about 2 tons. | Weaknesses = Moon Knight has suffered from mental breakdowns on many occasions. | Equipment = formerly Avengers Identicard Glider Cloak: Although Spector cannot fly, he can spread his cloak and slow his descent from great heights. To a slight extent he can steer his fall. Because it must be flexible, the cloak is not armored. du Champ created the cloak. Carbonadium Armored Vestment Before he moved to the West Coast to operate there, he was wearing a costume that was made of Carbonadium which he claimed was almost as tough as Adamantium but more flexible. The suit had several features identified: Crescent Dart Launchers in his wrist, Crescent Cable line used for swinging or for grappling, jump jets, Laser cutting torch, a few other features. | Transportation = None; formerly Moon Knight's Helicopter, Avengers Quinjet | Weapons = Crescent Darts: These symmetrical throwing blades function as "calling cards" as well as weapons. Spector keeps a dozen of them in protective holsters spaced around his belt. Truncheon: This ingenious device functions as a simple club, nunchaku, and a grappling hook. By itself, it can be wielded as a blunt instrument or thrown. It separates into two shorter clubs (linked by a chain) to entangle a weapon or limb, or to lengthen the club's arc of travel and thus its force. The hook springs forth from one end and, with a cable attached, allows Moon Knight to climb to, descend from, or swing around a fixed point. It weighs 12 pounds (5.5 kg) and is 12 inches (30 cm) long. When not in use, it fits into a holster on his left calf. Later improvements include upgrading the stainless steel to Adamantium, incorporating the cable with the hook, and adding the option to extend to 8 feet (242 cm) long. Crescent Launcher Pistols He was using 2 pistols which fired crescent darts with cables that allowed him to grapple, trip or pin his enemies to surfaces. These had enough force to push a man back into a wall and pin him there Energy shield: Buck Lime built him an energy shield similar of Captain Amercia's Vibranium shield. Web-Shooters/Wolverine's Claws: Buck Lime created a pair of bracers which can be used as a Web-Shooters (like Spider-Man's) or Metal claws (like Wolverine's). Silver Cestus: On his first mission as Moon Knight (bringing in the werewolf for the Committee), Spector wore two silver cesti on his arms. During his time as the Fist of Khonshu, Spector used another set of weapons, keeping them in a leather pouch or on his person. Ankh: This Egyptian symbol made of gold lit up in the face of imminent danger. Like the truncheon above, it could serve as a thrown or hand-held club. It weighed 12 pounds (5.5 kg) and was 12 inches (30 cm) long. Other Weapons: Moon Knight also used other weapons such as scarab darts, a ivory boomerang, grappling hook / lariat, bola, san-setsu-kon (three-piece staff), and a truncheon with built-in taser. | Notes = | Trivia = *In 1999 Moon Knight: High Strangeness was nominated for favorite limited series by the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award. *More than often, Moon Knight has been refered to as 'Batman with mental problems'. | Links = * Moon Knight article at Wikipedia * Moon Knight article at Don Markstein's Toonopedia * Ultimate Moon Knight resource *Comic Foundry - The Conversation: Doug Moench + Charlie Huston *Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards * [http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=35259 "Charlie Huston: Shining Light on Moon Knight", Comixfan, August 17, 2005] *summary of Moon Knight's earliest appearances (in French) }} $ Category:Superhuman Strength Category:Telepathic Immunity Category:Martial Arts Category:Night Vision Category:Regeneration Category:Camouflage Category:Energy Senses Category:Fencing Category:Millionaires Category:Dissociative identity disorder Category:Insanity Category:Schizophrenia Category:Sega - Captain America Category:Jewish Category:50-State Initiative members Category:Avengers members